March 25, 2009

Goodell wants longer regular season: The NFL commissioner believes four preseason games is too many? Tell that to the undrafted or low-level free agents who are pursuing their dream of making it in the NFL!

An NFL player only has so many games in him, and making him
play more of them each season would be more taxing and
would shorten careers.

There are all these retired guys with brain damage and unable
to walk, etc. Many of them played 14 game seasons, not 16.

Tell you what, Commissioner Goodell. You take care of your
beaten up and discarded aging veterans in a manner befitting
the sacrifices they made for the game, then maybe we can talk
about making the season longer for the current players.

There are all these retired guys with brain damage and unable to walk, etc. Many of them played 14 game seasons, not 16.

True that but you must also mention that when there were 14 games in the NFL, most of the rules were different as well. Players were getting clotheslined, forearmed, horse-collared or just flattened and they weren't even penalized. Football is the most popular sport in America due to the fact that the game is so unpredictable and the violence is spontaneous. 17 or 18 games with the rules of today doesn't mean that all of a sudden, the injuries will pile up even more so than they would if the season stayed at 16 games but that's just my opinion.

Also, to further BI's point, maybe we should hold coaches a bit more in contempt than the evil corporate suits for the sad physical health of NFL veterans. They deserve better compensation no doubt, but why do we not ask where the coaches were when these guys were playing when they shouldn't have. Maybe we should take a cut out of their pensions to cover the veterans medical cost?

True that but you must also mention that when there were 14 games in the NFL, most of the rules were different as well.

Thank you. They also didn't get anywhere near the level of medical care players get today. There are plenty of reasons to question the NFL's commitment to retired players' health, but I don't think a couple of more games is going to make much of a difference. I would also take issue with the idea pre-season games are more important to "undrafted or low-level free agents" than to anyone else.

Maybe if they add more regular season games and Tom Brady gets injured during one of them they'll change it back to the way it was. Just kidding (a reference to the rules-change thread).

Seriously, I see this as a way to play a bunch more games all over the globe. I can envision a Sunday where every game is being played in stadiums all around the world. They'll probably give each team a bye week prior to this particular game so the NFL can suck up the publicity from cities everywhere on the planet for an extended period. Hey, if the league thinks there is money to be had, they'll change any damn thing they can.

Tell you what, Commissioner Goodell. You take care of your beaten up and discarded aging veterans in a manner befitting the sacrifices they made for the game, then maybe we can talk about making the season longer for the current players.

I agree with this. Should be something the CBA mandates before they sign the agreement (retroactive for the old vets).

Really? Would you refuse to sign a new contract at work until retired workers are fairly compensated? I'm all for the NFL peeling off a few dollars from its billion dollar flash wad, but I don't see how current players should be obligated to make it so.

I'm all for the NFL peeling off a few dollars from its billion dollar flash wad, but I don't see how current players should be obligated to make it so.

Because they OWE those guys for getting them into the position they are now?

That has been the problem and why those old guys aren't getting fairly compensated...the current generation is only concerned about the current generation, and they elected a representative that only focused on THEIR needs and no eye to the past. I can see why they might feel that way growing up in the ME generation, but that doesn't make it right.

That has been the problem and why those old guys aren't getting fairly compensated...the current generation is only concerned about the current generation

People have been saying that about every younger generation for as long as there have been kids not properly respecting their elders. The NFLPA is weak. It's not the fault of the current players or the past players. It's probably a result of the length of careers in the NFL and the size of rosters. You can blame it on the kids on your lawn if it makes you feel better, but it doesn't make it so. I have no idea how or why Gene Upshaw ever got elected head of the NFLPA, but I'd guess it was pretty political and wouldn't have happened if the majority of players had been in the union for more than a few years.